Badge, sign, or the like and method of making the same



R. J. SMITH BADGE, SIGN, OR THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Oct. 19, 1965 Filed April 22, 1963 United States Patent Ofifice 3,212,204 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 3,212,204 BADGE, SIGN, OR THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Richard J. Smith, 4814 Lorna Vista Ave, Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,540 3 Claims. (Cl. 40-15) The present invention relates generally to signs and display raticles of the character hereinafter described and to a method of making them, and it is more particularly concerned with a novel type of badge and a method of producing it.

The present invention has been developed having in mind the particular requirements of badges such as are Worn by policemen, firemen, and the like, and according ly, the invention is disclosed in this particular aspect; but it will be realized from the following description that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto as it may be applied to signs and other display articles of a similar character.

Badges of this character have heretofore been made of metal by a casting process and are then imprinted on the outside with suitable lettering and other indicia. Badges of this construction have various shortcomings which the present invention proposes to remedy. Metal badges are comparatively heavy and when worn on the front part of a cap or a shirt have a tendency to pull the garment supporting them. This detracts from the appearance of the garment and the wearer.

Another difficulty with badges of this type is that of keeping the lettering and other indicia on the face of it intact. Being on the outside surface, normal wear tends to dull the metal surface and also to remove the indicia. Polishing the metal to restore its high luster also tends to remove the indicia, both actions shortening the useful life of the article.

Hence, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel form of badge or similar display article Which is comparatively light in weight, has an attractive appearance, and which can be economically and easily manufactured.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel type of badge in which the indicia are fully protected against wear, thus contributing to the durability and long life of the article.

These objects of the present invention are achieved in a badge, sign, or similar article by providing a body of transparent material having a front surface and an embossed rear surface carrying a design which is to be visible from the front of the badge. Indicia are applied to the rear surface and are visible from the front through the badge, such indicia typically being on a smooth display area forming a part of the rear surface of the badge. A reflective metallic coating is applied to the embossed rear surface over said indicia, the coating reflecting light reaching the metal surface through the transparent body, causing the indicia to be fully visible and also illuminating the embossed area to show off the design of the embossed portion. Typically, a protective backing is then applied over the back of the badge to protect the reflective coating against damage, such backing serving also as a means for attaching the badge to a garment.

How the above objects and advantages, as well as others not particularly mentioned herein are attained, will be more readily understood by reference to the following description and to the annexed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of an official badge constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-section thereof on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the completed badge showing the protective backing in place;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the badge body with indicia applied thereto illustrating one stage in the manufacture of the badge;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation similar to FIG. 4 after the reflective coating has been applied; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the body of the badge.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the badge comprises a body 10 which is made of any suitable transparent material. For this purpose it is preferable to use a synthetic resin or plastic that is clear and transmits substantially all of the light falling upon it. The material may be clear, that is uncolored, or it may contain suitable coloring that will not appreciably inhibit light penetration.

In cross-section the body may be described as concavoconvex. The front or outer surface 11 is generally convex and is preferably smooth. The rear or inner surface 12, seen in FIG. 4, is generally concave. On this face there is an embossed area, such as indicated at 14, over which a suitable design is formed in relief. Included in or surrounded by the design there may be one or more display areas 15 which have a smooth surface on the rear face of the badge, for reasons that will become evident. The design which is created in relief on the rear surface of the badge may cover all or any portion of the concave surface and the display areas 15 may bear any desired relation to the remainder of the design.

The badge body may be made by injection molding in the case of a synthetic resin or plastic and the embossed design is then formed simultaneously with the formation of the body itself. Another process is to first form blanks of a thermoplastic material and then emboss them with a suitable die. In either case the embossed area is formed by application of heat and pressure.

After the rear surface of the badge is embossed, de-

' sired indicia are applied to the display areas 15. Such indicia may take any form desired. For example, it will be seen by reference to FIG. 1 that in certain display areas the indicia 16 are letters forming the title of the oflicer wearing the badge, while centrally of the badge is a design 17, for example, a state or municipal seal. It is also customary on a badge to include the badge number 18 assigned the wearer. These indicia are applied to the smooth surface on the rear face of the badge provided by the display areas and may be applied in any suitable manner. Typically, the indicia may be applied by a rocess similar to printing or a silk screen process, the ink being used resulting in opaque areas where the indicia are applied. However, it is within the scope of the invention to use indicia applied in other ways and also indicia that are transparent. For example, a design or lettering could be applied by using a transparent plastic film which is colored to contrast with the body of the badge or sign. With the indicia applied to the embossed rear surface of the badge, the badge appears as in FIG. 4.

After application of the indicia, a reflective metallic coating 20 is applied to the back surface of the badge body. The coating is applied over the embossed portion and also over the display areas so that is covers the indicia in the latter areas. The purpose of this metallic coating is to reflect light forwardly through the transparent body that has reached the coating by passing through the body from the front side.

The reflective metallic coating may be applied in any suitable manner. A preferred manner of applying it that has been found quite satisfactory is to deposit the metal on the badge body by condensing metal from the vapor form in a process essentially similar to that involved in making mirrors. In this case the metal used is aluminum. Metal deposited in this manner faithfully reproduces the embossed design on the back of the badge body and also covers the indicia in the display areas.

The metallic coating provides a reflective surface at the interface between the coating and the badge body, and this reflective surface illuminates the design in the indicia of the badge. The embossed relief shows up clearly when the badge is viewed from the front because of the difference in the light transmission characteristics of the thicker and thinner parts of the badge body as well as the different angles of light reflection by the metal coating.

In order to allow the maximum light incident on the front face to enter the badge body rather than being reflected from the front face, it is preferable that the front face be generally smooth in character at least over the major portion of the area of the front face. This not only permits light to penetrate the body and be reflected from the metallic coating, but also improves the visibility of the indicia and the design as they are illuminated by this reflected light. Also, for this reason it is desired that the badge body be made of a material which transmits as high a percentatge of light as possible and consequently the material is referred to herein as being transparent. However, it will be realized that it is within the scope of the present invention to use special materials, where so desired, that are not completely transparent but are light absorptive or light reflective to a noticeable degree. It is possible to dye the material with a transparent dye to give it a color, and it is possible that in some cases the dye or pigment used to color the badge body may hinder full transmission of light through it. As an example of color, the badge body may contain coloring material giving to it an amber color. As a consequence, the finished badge appears to be a gold colored badge, even though the reflective surface is aluminum.

Around the margin of the rear concave face the body is formed with an angular recess or groove 21 which is adapted to provide a planar shoulder or seat to receive a protective rear cover plate 22. The cover plate may be cemented or otherwise secured in place. This cover plate may be provided with a pin 25 of well known design to provide a means for attaching the badge to an outer garment such as a shirt or coat. In addition to providing means for mounting the pin or the like on the badge,

the cover serves to protect the metallic coating 20 from injury by corrosion or damaging contact with objects that would scratch it.

While specific structural details have been shown and described, it should be understood that changes and alterations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A badge, sign, or the like comprising: a body of transparent material having a smooth front surface and an embossed rear surface; opaque indicia applied to the rear surface and visible through the front surface; and a reflective metallic coating applied to the embossed rear surface over said indicia for reflecting light reaching the metal surface through the transparent body, said rear surface including a smooth display area and said indicia being on said display area.

2. A badge, sign, or the like as claimed in claim 1 that also includes a protective backing plate over the reflective coating; and including pin means carried by said backing plate for supporting said backing plate on the garment of a wearer.

3. A badge, sign, or the like as claimed in claim 2 in which the body is of generally concave-convex configuration with the rear surface concave and provided with a planar marginal shoulder forming a seat to receive the protective backing plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,376,305 5/45 Bauer 40-331 X 2,557,402 6/51 Attheimer 40-135 2,733,526 1/56 Blay 40331 2,762,146 9/56 Millazo 40-1.5 2,812,600 11/57 Hopp 40l0 2,863,235 12/58 Krause 40-15 2,925,125 2/60 Souza l86l 2,994,925 8/61 Gitz 1859 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, JEROME SCHNALL,

Examiners. 

1. A BADGE, SIGN, OR THE LIKE COMPRISING: A BODY OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL HAVING A SMOOTH FRONT SURFACE AND AN ENBOSSED REAR SURFACE; OPAQUE INDICIA APPLIED TO THE REAR SURFACE AND VISIBLE THROUGH THE FRONT SURFACE; AND A REFLECTIVE METALLIC COATING APPLIED TO THE EMBOSSED REAR SURFACE OVER SAID INDICIA FOR REFLECTING LIGHT REACHING THE METAL SURFACE THROUGH THE TRANSPARENT BODY, SAID REAR SURFACE INCLUDING A SMOOTH DISPLAY AREA AND SAID INDICIA BEING ON SAID DISPLAY AREA. 